On Thursday, July 1, the House and Senate joint Conference Committee recommendation for the fiscal year 2011 (FY11) School Aid Budget was passed by both chambers. The funding bill (SB 1163 CR-1) is now before the Governor for signature or line-item veto.

Following significant reductions in the FY10 budget in per pupil grants to all local school districts, reductions for Intermediate School Districts, and cuts in programs improving school readiness, adolescent health, and high school completion, the Governor had recommended few cuts in K-12 programs for FY11, with the vast majority remaining at FY10 levels.

The budget agreement includes an expansion of School Aid revenue, based on updated revenue estimates and assuming the elimination of the double deduction allowed for indirect oil and gas production costs. The budget includes roughly $24 million of what has been termed the $300 million "surplus" in the School Aid Fund. The remaining $276 million is not yet committed for the FY11 budget year.

Visit our Budget Basics library to read a full detailed analysis of the School Aid budget agreement.

With the campaign season now in full swing, Michigan's Children and others have made resources available to help advocates get involved in election advocacy.

On our, VOTE for Michigan's children campaign web page, you will find plenty of resources, including an "Election Advocacy Toolkit." Please continue visiting the site as we will be adding more resources and materials.

The Kids Priority 1 website, a project of the Michigan Coalition for Children and Families, also has many resources for advocates. MCCF has recently sent surveys to candidates to gauge their support for children's issues. Please encourage candidates in your communities to complete them! Click here to view the flyer.

Also, last week, children's advocates launched the Sandbox Party for Michigan's Youngest Learners on concerns that a key component of Michigan's economic turnaround may be lost amid election-year politics. This nonpartisan, nonpolitical party represents the interests of Michigan's youngest residents. A growing body of research has identified this age group as vital to developing competent citizens and workers.

The Sandbox Party will be holding a convention on August 26, 2010 from 1-4pm at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. Please save the date and register!

Finally, the Michigan Participation Project also has many resources for the nonprofit community to be engaged in the 2010 elections.